LOGAN, Utah – In the final day of the Northern Utah Invitational Saturday, Utah State volleyball (2-1) split a pair of matches as it swept Seton Hall (0-3) before falling to Weber State (3-0) in a hard-fought five sets. 

MATCH ONE
Utah State started the day strong with a sweep over Seton Hall. After a dominating start to win the first set, 25-11, the second was tighter before the Aggies pulled off the 26-24 victory. The team held on, closing out the match with a 25-19 win in the third set. 

The Aggies led from start to finish in the first and third sets. The Pirates putting up more of a fight in the second set, leading by as many as six points before Utah State could get the momentum back. Down four, the Aggies called a timeout, that sparked a bit of a run. USU then went on to close the set on a four-point run. Seton Hall kept the set within reach in the third, but junior middle blocker Kennedi Boyd secured the match-winning point on a kill.

In all, the Aggies hit a blistering .366 (49-15-93), marking the first time a USU team has hit .300 or higher since the 2016 season. Leading the way was redshirt sophomore outside hitter Hailey Cuff, who set the program record for 10-14 attempts, hitting .846 with 11 kills in 13 attempts. Sophomore outside Tatum Stall also recorded 11 kills in the win. All seven Utah State players that recorded a kill in the match hit above .230. 

Defensively, Cuff led the way with nine digs, while junior middle Kylee Stokes had a team-high three blocks. The Aggies held Seton Hall to a .151 (27-14-86) hitting percentage.

MATCH TWO
The contest against Weber State was a battle from the beginning. The Aggies took the first set, 25-23, handing the Wildcats their first set loss of the season before they claimed the second with a 25-14 victory. Weber State took the overall lead with a 25-21 win in the third, but USU bounced back to even things up with a 25-20 victory. The Wildcats controlled the fifth set, securing the match with by a score of 15-10. 

Serving proved to be the difference-maker Saturday night. Weber State finished the match with 10 aces and six errors, while Utah State had just two aces to 10 errors. The Wildcats were able to put several long runs together in their winning sets, much of which came from behind the service line. 

The Aggie attack had a strong night, hitting .275 (62-21-149) to the Wildcats' .247 (64-24-162). Senior outside hitter Kristy Frank led the Aggies with a career-high 21 kills, while hitting a career-best .475 (21-2-40). Stall and Boyd joined her with double-digit kills, recording 15 and 10, respectively. 

Frank also finished the night with a career-best 15 digs, recording her second double-double of the weekend. Freshman setter Beatriz Rodrigues had a double-double as well, tallying a team-high 27 assists and 10 digs. Both teams finished the night with 10 kills, where senior middle blocker Corinne Larsen led the Aggies with six. 

Utah State takes to the road next weekend, playing in the Bobcat Invitational at Montana State. The Aggies will open the weekend with matches against Portland and Arkansas at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, on Friday, Sept. 3. Action will conclude on Saturday, Sept. 4, in a 1 p.m. match against Montana State. 

Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.